4. Theory of Evolution

4. Why is the theory of evolution so important in doing philosophy? More pointedly, why is the theory of evolution key to understanding why human beings behave the way they do? Focus on evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology when giving your answers. I also suggest being creative here and perhaps using your own life as a template to explain some aspects of evolution. Be sure to incorporate material from Darwin directly or other evolutionists when possible.

Richard Dawkins, a evolutionary biologist and author once stated, "biological evolution can help people understand cultural evolution better." Within a cultural evolution, there are memes, a term devised by Richard Dawkins. A meme is an idea, or behavior that transfers from person to person within a culture. A meme can easily spread through a small society through many different types of interactions. Just like evolution, these cultural ideas evolve as well as change through time and eventually become extinct. Evolutionary Psychology explains which psychological traits evolved from adapting and as time progressed. Some of the traits like intelligence, the way we judge others, our perception of beauty, etc has changed changed drastically over the centuries. For example, our perception of beauty has changed excessively over time. Decades ago, women with a more round body was seen as a true beauty. Today, being just thin and skinny is considered to be beautiful, while overweight, obese women are judged with a different perspective. 

  The Theory of Evolution is important in understanding and doing philosophy because it explains how our minds changed and evolved to help thinking be more efficient. It provides an explanation for how our consciousness has developed and evolved through the centuries. As people grow, not necessarily evolve, we develop habits and perception of the things that surround us. For example, I grew up in an environment where violent was dominant. Because of this factor, I have a different perspective on violence unlike other people because of the way I was "evolved" or raised as a child. While others may consider violence as something negative, I see it as not necessarily bad, but something I can easily accept without having negative thoughts. Because of the way I was raised, I have a totally different philosophy on violence than people within my society.